Sainsbury’s Ulverston store latest
Last updated at 13:54, Monday, 23 January 2012
SAINSBURY’S has confirmed it still wants to open a new foodstore in Ulverston – despite opposition to council plans to earmark unspoiled sites for development.
The supermarket giant revealed its intention last summer to build a store on greenfield land, known locally as the Beehive, off Lightburn Road.
South Lakeland District Council’s Land Allocations paper was approved by the council last week.
The document, which identifies potential sites for 1,913 new homes and business land, has been criticised by opposition councillors and residents’ groups who claim the house numbers are too excessive and would needlessly eat up green land.
But Jo Hawley, regional development executive for Sainsbury’s, said: “We firmly believe the site on Lightburn Road remains the best option to deliver a new foodstore for Ulverston.
“We evaluated all available sites, including the Old Brewery (which Robinson’s has applied to build a supermarket on), and concluded our site was the only viable option for a foodstore that will be able to keep people, who currently travel away from Ulverston to do their food shopping, in the town.
“The council’s site allocation document identifies Lightburn Road as a strategic employment site, something we believe is only possible through associated retail which could make further development viable.
“By bringing Sainsbury’s to Ulverston, we can make a significant investment in the town, creating new jobs and addressing the need for a new supermarket in the area.
“We also play an important part in the communities we serve by supporting local charities and employing local people.
“A store of this kind would be expected to create over 200 new jobs, and our colleagues can expect excellent training and career development opportunities, through programmes like Skills for Life.”
Sainsbury’s has yet to submit a planning application, but said it was drawing up plans for the site and would hold a full public consultation before they are submitted.
Community campaign group, Keep Ulverston Special, is against Sainsbury’s plan.
Harry Knowles, chief executive of Furness Enterprise, which faces closure in August due to funding issues, wrote to SLDC last year to argue the land should not be allocated for a potential supermarket in the Land Allocations document.
First published at 13:08, Monday, 23 January 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Ulverston is on its knees now,if this supermarket build goes ahead it will be the final nail in the coffin of a dying town and could well end up as run down as Dalton.
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How is Ulverston on it's knees? every weekend I go into the centre, it's thriving. I don't do my weekly shop there, because there are no suitable shops to cater for my wallet, for my everyday goods. For those I drive to Barrow, as do most of the people I know... saying that a supermarket in Ulverston is going to kill off the local shops is misguided, uniformed propaganda. All that a supermarker will do is keep more money, employment etc local to Ulverston rather that Barrow.
Posted by Eenyweeny on 27 January 2012 at 12:38